A week ago I was in Istanbul at the 8th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). GFMD is an informal UN initiative that aims to address the interconnectedness between migration and development.
The first two days of the forum involved two hundred and eighty delegates from Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and a hundred people th from government.
We heard directly … [Read more...]

This is one those stories that we would want to be a bad joke but sadly this one isn't
Nearly a fortnight ago 230 school girls were abducted from a boarding school in Nigeria and to date their were abouts remains a mystery.
I am filled with questions about this
How and why did this happen?
How do you abduct 200 teenage girls?
Where would you hide them?
Is … [Read more...]

If you have been following news about Uganda, you will by now be aware that the legislators of that country finally passed the anti homosexuality bill.
By way of background the anti-homosexuality bill was first proposed in 2009 by Ugandan MP David Bahati who argued that homosexuality was alien to Uganda’s cultural and religious beliefs and was a threat to the … [Read more...]

I have followed several debates about Mandela's legacy since his death, I chaired one such debates over at Africa on the Blog and even contributed to one over at Business Fights Poverty.
The debates have polarised between those that believe Mandela was a common terrorist and those that see him as a hero that stood up to an unjust system in which the black majority were … [Read more...]

The Ugandan Diaspora in UK recently gathered to discuss the condition of Uganda with member's of the Ugandan parliament as well as friends of Uganda.
I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Uganda's First Lady as well as Minister for Karamoja one of Uganda's poorest regions and here is how I got on
… [Read more...]

In this post I would like to share with you an essay I wrote in the Human Rights class I attended a few months ago- here is s synopsis
The essay considers whether human rights are a western idea or are capable of transcending culture through a case study of the of human rights of gay people in Uganda in the light of the anti-homosexuality bill. It sets out the situation in … [Read more...]

The year 2011 began just like any other year. I was in Uganda and folk were afraid of going out since Al shabab had thrown bombs amongst folk watching the world cup finals at the city's rugby club. So we stayed home, lit the BBQ and sat back to take in the fireworks at Sheraton Hotel from a vantage point of our back yard.
As the year unfolded it turned to be quite … [Read more...]

Sometime last year I got into a conversation with a woman on Twitter whose twitter handle was simply SMT95. We exchanged several tweets and she asked for my number. I gave it to her and she called me. She introduced herself as Sadia Sisay.
We spoke for 2 solid hours on anything and everything. But mostly about Twitter, the point of black history month and not being able to … [Read more...]

I thought I would revisit this topic if only to shout out a about a woman in my network I admire greatly and one of the the most generous people I know in my network.
If you missed the previous post on the issue of being generous to those in your network you can catch up here
Ces is the brains behind Brand Buzz. She is an avid advocate for my work and has used her … [Read more...]

Penny Power the founder of Ecademy on Ida Horner
I first met Ida at the Weybridge Ecademy meeting and was drawn to her by her sense of purpose and her drive. Ida, as you will read, it passionate, determined and very aware of the contribution she can make.
Penny Power the founder of Ecademy had this to say
What has inspired me about Ida is her ability to slowly and calmly … [Read more...]